MINNEAPOLIS — Caitlin Clark's goals haven't changed: She wants to play in the Olympics one day.
Not only did Clark help her team stay in the WNBA playoff race with a strong finish in the Indiana Fever's 81-74 win at Minnesota on Sunday, but she did so against a Lynx team coached by U.S. women's national team leader Cheryl Reeve.
Clark and Aliyah Boston, who recorded her 20th career double-double, thrived against Reeve, who leads an Olympic team that will travel to Paris in search of a gold medal.
Clark, who was left off the national team roster this year, said Sunday that the Olympics remain her “dream.”
“That's what you dream about when you're a little girl, being able to represent your country,” said Clark, who finished with 17 points and six assists in her first WNBA game in Minneapolis. “And obviously, me and [Boston] “Having had the experience of playing for the youth national team, we know how fun it is and how cool it is to wear 'USA' on your chest.”
That said, Clark acknowledged that her priority is to continue growing as a player.
“It gives you something to work towards, something to dream about,” he said. “Plus, I feel like I can continue to improve a lot, and for me, that's my main goal and what I'm most excited about for the future.”
However, before Sunday's game, Reeve apparently had no interest in discussing Clark's status as a possible member of a future national team.
“Why on earth would I have to answer a question about the national team?” Reeve said. His Lynx are now 2-2 in their last four games without MVP candidate Napheesa Collier, who has been sidelined with a foot injury since July 4.
“I'm running Lynx. I'm the head coach of the national team, but I'm not the chairman of the committee. Does anyone want to venture into something else?”
Target Center was packed with fans sporting Iowa jerseys, shirts and other gear in support of former Hawkeyes star Clark. Those Iowa fans also flooded the bars and restaurants on First Avenue hours before tipoff.
Asked before the game about the possibility of a pro-Fever crowd, Reeve joked: “I don't give a shit,” with a laugh before continuing: “Not a shit” when pressed by the reporter.
When the Fever sealed the victory late, the building erupted, making the Target Center look like a rival stadium for the Lynx all afternoon.
Trailing by seven entering the fourth quarter, Clark helped the Fever orchestrate a 14-5 run that turned the game in Indiana's favor. She had 10 points and two assists in the fourth quarter.
Clark left behind a good and a bad history in Minneapolis, where he said he has fond memories of taking trips with his father in elementary school to see the Lynx play.
With six turnovers on Sunday, Clark now has 139 this season, the most by a player in a single season in WNBA history, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. But she also surpassed Sue Bird for second place in assists by a WNBA rookie (194).
Boston said the Fever, now seventh in the WNBA playoff standings after going 4-2 in their last six games, have found their chemistry at the right time.
Like Clark, Boston said she also hopes to one day make the U.S. women's national team.
“That's definitely a goal of mine,” Boston said. “People dream of being an Olympian and that's one of mine. Coach Reeves is the head coach and as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to continue to work hard and do whatever it takes to get on that team.”
